Editing Alpine County, California (section)

==Politics==
Throughout the 20th century, Alpine County was a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] stronghold in [[President of the United States|presidential]] and [[United States Congress|congressional]] elections. From 1892 until 2004, the only [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] to carry Alpine County in a presidential election was [[Franklin Roosevelt]] in [[1932 United States presidential election in California|1932]] and [[1936 United States presidential election in California|1936]]. In [[1964 United States presidential election in California|1964]], Alpine was one of only five counties in the state to back [[Barry Goldwater]]. It was among the five most Republican counties in the entire nation in [[1892 United States presidential election in California|1892]],<ref>Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/stats.php?year=1892&f=0&off=0&elect=0 1892 Presidential Election Statistics]</ref> [[1908 United States presidential election in California|1908]],<ref>Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/stats.php?year=1908&f=0&off=0&elect=0 1908 Presidential Election Statistics]</ref> [[1920 United States presidential election in California|1920]],<ref>Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/stats.php?year=1920&f=0&off=0&elect=0 1920 Presidential Election Statistics]</ref> and [[1928 United States presidential election in California|1928]].<ref>Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/stats.php?year=1928&f=0&off=0&elect=0 1928 Presidential Election Statistics]</ref> [[Warren G. Harding|Warren Harding]] and [[Herbert Hoover]] gained over ninety percent of the county's vote. However, Alpine has become more of a Democratic county in recent elections. It was carried by [[John Kerry]] in [[2004 United States presidential election in California|2004]] and has stayed in the Democratic column since. No Republican has won a majority in the county since [[1988 United States presidential election in California|1988]]. In [[2024 United States presidential election in California|2024]], Alpine County was the only county in California to swing to the left, giving [[Kamala Harris]] a larger margin of victory than [[Joe Biden]] in [[2020 United States presidential election in California|2020]].

{{PresHead|place=Alpine County, California}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|243|479|22|California}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|244|476|26|California}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|217|334|51|California}}  
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|236|389|29|California}}  
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|252|422|20|California}}  
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|311|373|17|California}}  
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|281|265|40|California}}  
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|264|258|92|California}}  
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|222|215|194|California}}  
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|306|230|16|California}}  
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|264|194|8|California}}  
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|254|133|74|California}}  
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|225|189|33|California}}  
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|366|195|15|California}}  
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|150|83|20|California}}  
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|124|91|0|California}}  
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|132|40|0|California}}  
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|114|29|0|California}}  
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|148|20|0|California}}  
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|106|25|7|California}}  
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|98|45|0|California}}  
{{PresRow|1940|Republican|125|62|1|California}}  
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|74|85|0|California}}  
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|53|56|3|California}}  
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|49|3|0|California}}  
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|52|5|2|California}}  
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|64|6|0|California}}  
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|60|23|0|California}}  
{{PresRow|1912|Progressive|8|34|38|California}}  
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|75|11|0|California}}  
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|74|9|0|California}}  
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|69|15|0|California}}  
{{PresRow|1896|Republican|40|39|2|California}}  
{{PresFoot|1892|Republican|65|17|4|California}}

In November 2008, Alpine was one of just three counties in California's interior in which voters rejected [[California Proposition 8 (2008)|Proposition 8]], the ballot initiative to amend the [[California Constitution]] to reject the legal extension of the title of marriage to same-sex couples. Alpine voters rejected Proposition 8 by 56.4 percent to 43.6 percent. The only other inland counties in which Proposition 8 failed to receive a majority of votes were [[Yolo County, California|Yolo County]] and Alpine's neighbor [[Mono County, California|Mono County]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 16, 2014 |title=California results |url=http://www.latimes.com/local/la-2008election-california-results-htmlstory.html |access-date=March 26, 2018 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

Alpine County is in {{Representative|cacd|3|fmt=district}}.<ref>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|3|access-date=June 9, 2023}}</ref> In the [[California State Assembly|State Assembly]], the county is in {{Representative|caad|1|fmt=adistrict}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Members Assembly |url=http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers |access-date=March 18, 2013 |publisher=State of California}}</ref> In the [[California State Senate|State Senate]], the county is in {{Representative|casd|1|fmt=sdistrict}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Senators |url=http://senate.ca.gov/senators |access-date=March 18, 2013 |publisher=State of California}}</ref>

Due to its low population density, Alpine County votes entirely by [[Postal voting|mail]], one of two counties in California which do so.<ref>{{Cite news |title=No voters at these polls |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/11/no-voters-at-these-polls.html |access-date=March 17, 2013 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> In the June 2014 primary elections, about 22% of registered voters statewide went to the polls; in Alpine County, the number was almost 70%, the highest of any county in the state.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mehta |first=Seema |date=June 17, 2014 |title=California's least-populous county takes voting seriously |url=http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-alpine-county-20140614-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

===Stonewall Nation===
Gay activist Don Jackson seriously presented an idea for taking over Alpine County at a December 28, 1969, gay liberation conference in Berkeley, California. The project, which eventually became known as [[Stonewall Nation]], was subsequently surreptitiously used by fellow gay activists [[Morris Kight]] and [[Don Kilhefner]] as an agitation and propaganda tool with no serious plans to bring the idea to fruition.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 2021 |title=In 1970, a Group of Gay Angelenos Plotted to Turn a Rural California County into a Gay Utopia |url=https://www.lamag.com/mag-features/alpine-county-gay-liberation-front/#:~:text=LGBTQ-,In%201970%2C%20a%20Group%20of%20Gay%20Angelenos%20Plotted%20to%20Turn,County%20into%20a%20Gay%20Utopia&text=One%20night%2C%20Don%20Jackson,for%20coming%20out%20as%20gay.}}</ref> Once the political theater aspect of the project was exposed, planning for the Alpine County project came to a halt even among demoralized true believers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Algeo |first1=Matthew |title=Gaytopia |url=https://getpocket.com/explore/item/gaytopia?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us |website=getpocket.com |publisher=Truly*Adventurous |access-date=28 May 2024 |date=January 27, 2021}}</ref>

===Posse Comitatus controversy===
In the late 1970s, the [[Posse Comitatus (organization)#Alpine County.2C California|Posse Comitatus organization]] attempted to take over Alpine County by settling there and fielding candidates in local elections.<ref name="TerroristNextDoor">{{Cite book |last=Levitas |first=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aS2L9yeTYb4C&q=alpine+county&pg=PA164 |title=The Terrorist Next Door: The Militia Movement and the Radical Right |date=January 20, 2004 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=9781429941808 |page=164 |access-date=June 29, 2014}}</ref> The Posse thought winning local elections in Alpine County was their best opportunity to take control of a single county. The group fielded a candidate for sheriff and registered fictitious voters using post office boxes and vacant lots as their addresses. Six people were prosecuted for voter fraud, the false registrations were thrown out, and the incumbent sheriff was re-elected.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Duncan |first=Dayton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Nv6BQ74lsIC&q=alpine+county+elections&pg=PA258 |title=Miles from Nowhere: Tales from America's Contemporary Frontier |date=September 2000 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |isbn=0803266278 |page=259 |access-date=June 29, 2014}}</ref>

===Voter registration statistics===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! colspan="3" | Population and registered voters
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Total eligible population<ref name="2022reg">{{Cite web |title=Statement of Vote, November 8, 2022, General Election |url=https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2022-general/sov/complete.pdf |access-date=May 5, 2023 |website=California Secretary of State}}</ref>
| colspan="2" | 1,015
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;Registered voters<ref name="2022reg" /><ref name="PCT-RV" group="note">Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.</ref>
| 915
| 90.1%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Democratic<ref name="2022reg" />
| 388
| 42.4%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Republican<ref name="2022reg" />
| 216
| 23.6%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Democratic–Republican spread<ref name="2022reg" />
| <span style="color:#00f;">'''+172'''</span>
| <span style="color:#00f;">'''+18.8%'''</span>
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;American Independent<ref name="2022reg" />
| 50
| 5.5%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Libertarian<ref name="2022reg" />
| 18
| 1.9%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Green<ref name="2022reg" />
| 8
| 0.8%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Peace and Freedom<ref name="2022reg" />
| 3
| 0.0%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Other<ref name="2022reg" />
| 2
| 0.0%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Other<ref name="2022reg" />
| 3
| 0.0%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No party preference<ref name="2022reg" />
| 277
| 30.3%
|}